Bethlehem Mayor John Callahan, left, and Mike Albarell, volunteer chairman of the Four Blocks International Committee, unveil the new name “Tranquility Park” as they dedicate a new pocket park in Four Blocks International neighborhood, Wednesday December 18, 2013.

While four corporations gave nearly $2 million to fuel more than $8 million of improvements to South Side Bethlehem as part of a 12-year master plan, the organizers behind the plan are looking for more private investment as they set future goals.

Coupled with this master plan is the city’s goal for a City Revitalization and Improvement Zone designation. If Bethlehem earns CRIZ approval from the state, a bunch of projects, including seven in the city’s South Side, could get a boost in private investment and offer the city an opportunity to bring in a new, specialized workforce.

If the city earned the CRIZ – which allows certain state and local taxes generated by businesses in the zone to be used to finance construction and development of a variety of buildings – it could bring $109 million worth in projects that include a hotel, convention center and Bass Pro Shops retailer at the SteelStacks site, said Mayor John Callahan.

The city should know by the end of the year if it earned the CRIZ designation.

“There’s going to be another great wave of private investment in South Side Bethlehem,” Callahan said. “Those are all jobs within walking distance.”

Besides talking about the CRIZ, Callahan spoke – at a Bethlehem Planning Commission meeting Thursday – about the accomplishments of South Side Vision 2014, a plan adopted in 2002. (Originally a 10-year plan, it was extended by two years.)

Since that time, city officials, business owners and numerous volunteers completed a host of projects, programs and physical improvements designed to enhance the quality of life in the city’s South Side.

Callahan presented a summary of what South Side Vision 2014 achieved so far and outlined future goals. The Community Action Development Corp. of Bethlehem, a nonprofit that promotes business and economic opportunities in South Side, also worked intensively on the plan and administered the money that funded the initiatives from private companies.

The corporations included M&T Bank, Just Born Inc., PPL and Lehigh Valley Health Network. Callahan said these companies provide personnel to participate on South Side Vision’s steering committee, which guides where the dollars are directed.

The partnership between the Community Action Development Corp. of Bethlehem and the city has gotten four corporate partners to invest $1.94 million into the South Side neighborhood over the past 12 years.

The organization is hoping for a new lease on life by reapplying to the Pennsylvania Department of Economic Development for a new Neighborhood Partnership Program, said Ellen Larmer, director of the Community Action Development Corp., which administers the funds.

Originally dubbed Southside Vision 2012, the organization was funded by a $1 million commitment from M&T Bank over 10 years. It was extended another two years when Just Born Inc., PPL Corp. and Lehigh Valley Health Network joined in 2008.

The money from the companies has been reinvested into the South Side neighborhood, resulting in more than $8 million worth of programs, projects and physical improvements for residents, Mayor John Callahan said today during a review of the program. In exchange for the funding, the businesses receive state tax credits.

“All this ends without the NPP dollars,” Callahan said.

The state only grants a certain number of programs annually due to the associated tax incentives, Callahan said. He doesn’t think there’s any question the state would approve Bethlehem’s renewals. It’s just a matter of lining up the corporate partner, which is necessary before applying, she said.

Larmer has heard interest from corporate partners ready to sign on but she can’t just extend the current program. The application must be submitted before June and the new cycle would start July 1.